Remember
by wingedauthoress14
Summary: Tenten and Neji have an argument, but when Neji ends up losing his memory on a mission, will Tenten ever get to say she's sorry?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: hi everyone! wow. for some reason, it feels like a long time since i've written a nejixtenten. this one was a request from TheRainWolf. hope i did my best w/ this one. thanks for the idea! - oh, b4 i 4get, um... this might sound a little weird, but i want to dedicate this story to my great granma who passed away this Thanksgiving. it's just... she gave me so much, that i wanted to do something special for her in exchange. so, without further ado- Remember

Disclaimer: i don't own Naruto. Never have... never will. :)

Rain pelted down from the clouds like small bullets, making leaves shuddder, petals break from their stems, and the skin on the kunoichi's arms rise up in shivering bumps.

"You wanna call it quits until the rain stops, Neji?" she called to her team mate with whom she was currently sparring. He said nothing, shaking his head no. Loosing her patience, she shouted:

"What the heck, Neji? It's raining, and it's cold!" Neji looked at her coldly.

"You'll never become a great ninja with that attitude- oh that's right- you'll never become a great ninja anyways because _you can't beat me." _Tenten glared at him, hating him.

"You think you're so great just because of your... _stupid _Byakugan! I am so sick of you bossing me around! And," she said, advancing on him, kunai in hand, "I can beat you no matter what you say because you're only human! and when you screw up, I'll be there, and I'll win!!!!!!!" Neji was now staring at her with a mixed look of pity, fear, and impatience.

"Well then why don't you show me that you have that much determination, and fight me!" the kunoichi narrowed her eyes, and got into a battle stance, but was saved the necessity of pulling out a scroll and summoning her weapons by the sudden presence of a certain green clad ninja who came bounding into the training grounds.

"Neji! Tenten! My youthful comrades, you must come with me- Tsunade-sama said that she wishes to see us! If I didn't know better, I'd would think it's for yet another youthful mission!" at this, he smiled widely, his teeth sparkling and pinging. Tenten groaned inwardly. It wasn't that she didn't like going on missions, but for the past three weeks, she had been doing nothing else. She had just gotten home from her last mission only three days ago- but again, Tsunade was a very busy person, and wouldn't really know. For some reason, there were more missions then usual, so Tsunade was constantly sending a Genin (with a Jounin), Chunnin, Jounin, or ANBU squad away.

"Fine. Come on, Tenten. Let's go see what Tsunade-sama wants, then we'll finish training… hopefully," he added under his breath. Though he would rather be stripped of his overlarge ego than admit it, he too was getting a bit irked at the thought of another mission_. It's to get stronger… to get stronger…_he repeated it to himself mentally.

"Bossy," Tenten hissed at him under her breath. Luckily, it didn't appear as though he heard her.

_I guess there really can be too much of a good thing_. Tenten and Neji thought together, walking to the Hokage's Tower.

They arrived in Tsunade's office a few minutes later, and were greeted by a scene of ultimate disorder and chaos.

"Where did I put it? Is it here? Ugh, no. Shizune, help me!!" the Hokage was busily scurrying about, putting papers here and there, shifting Ton-ton, the little pig, from place to place.

"Tsunade-sama, no disrespect, but I have warned you countless times that if you don't organize your papers correctly, you will never be able to-"

"Found it!" Tsunade exclaimed happily, holding up a piece of paper. She caught sight of the three Chunnin standing in the doorway, looking dumbstruck as they gazed around the room; papers littered almost every square inch of the office, a disheveled Ton-ton was attempting to claw her way out of an overturned chair, and there was an unmistakable smell of sake wafting through the air.

"Tsunade-sama? You wanted us?" Neji addressed the Hokage solemnly after a few moments of stunned silence.

"Um… yes… oh! That's right! I have another mission for you three," she turned her chair over, freeing Ton-ton, and sat heavily in it, heaving a weary sigh. "Your mission is a C-rank one. Locate a so- called 'band' of ninja that have broken off from their village and are causing a bit of havoc among it now. I want you to bring them back here- preferably alive. The mission shouldn't take you more than a few days or so since they're not the most skilled ninja you'll come across, and because their location isn't far outside our walls."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Neji said while Lee smiled brightly, overjoyed at the prospect of another mission, blinding them with their pingy brightness.

"We are sure to accomplish it in no time with our youthfulness!!" Lee shouted exhuberantly as the threesome left the office. Tenten and Neji shook their heads at Lee's forwardness and excitement at such a mission.

"Well, better than doing dishes at the ramen shop, right?" Tenten said wryly to Neji who scowled at her, recounting their experience.

When they were Genin, they were assigned to wash dishes at the ramen shop. All had gone well until the ramen- eating maniac, Naruto walked in. the three were still working there about two hours after it closed due to the amount of ramen Naruto had eaten they were almost done as Tenten loaded up a pile of dishes onto her arms, and headed toward a cabinet to put them away.

"Tenten! Look out!" Lee shouted as Tenten walked onto a wet spot on the floor- Lee had shouted too late, and Tenten ended up sliding on her heel, falling backwards, the dishes being thrown up into the air. In an instant, Lee and Neji were there; Lee having caught the dishes, and Neji having caught Tenten.

"how's that for team work?" Neji said to Tenten as she smiled at him- half grateful, half embarassed.

"Not bad at all." Tenten said into his ear.

(Fades back into the present)

Together, they walked back to the entrance of the Tower, greeted by a rush of freezing rain and wind that blew in their faces. Tenten looks over to Neji, her frostiness melting. Unfortunately for her, he is the human iceburg, and looks back at her coldly.

"Let's meet back here in about an hour. Make sure you have everything you need for the mission."

"Neji, I..." Tenten began softly, but faded as Neji glared at her. Slowly, she made her way home, and began to pack, ignoring the tears that ran down her cheeks.

A/N: so how was it? i kinda got a little angsty at the end, cause i'm listening to a sad song. OMG! i almost forgot- whoever reviews for this story gets a virtual cookie:) your choices are: chocolate chip, peanut butter, thumbprints, snickerdoodles, and sugar. choose wisely- they're tasty!! (i love to cook so there's plenty!) review plz:)


	2. Chapter 2

Dark clouds swirled low and threatening as Tenten's head began to throb in pain. _Storm _was the first thought that flashed through her mind before the low rumble of thunder was heard. She always got headaches before storms, and, even though it was probably due to a drop in air pressure, she liked to think of it more as a sixth sense. (A/N: not sure about this, but when there are storms, I always get headaches, and i think it's normally due 2 air pressure, or something like that. Again, I'm not a meterologist, but well, whatever. sorry! On w/ the story)

Lightning flashed while thunder roared, and the heavens opened, unleashing torrents of rain down upon the three ninja. Something small and white caught Tenten's eye, but she had no time to react as a large explosion was seen in front of her. Eyes wide, she saw Neji falling from his branch, and dissapear through the greenery and out of sight.

"Neji!" Tenten and Lee both cried as they dismounted their own branches, and landed beside a now, unconsious Neji.

"Neji? Are you okay? Wake up!" Tenten said as she shook her team mate, who, admist her shouting into his ear, didn't wake. Lee and Tenten both turned around to maniacle laughter coming from behind them.

"Who's there?" Lee asked, peering into the rain. Tenten's eyes opened wide as she instinctively drew a kunai, and jumped in front of Lee, using it to deflect the oncoming weapons. A black blur shot out of the bushes, and aimed itself at Tenten. In a flash, the blur was pinned to the ground with the silver artillery. A bush on Tenten's right quivered, and Tenten looked to Lee, saying:

"Lee, there, look!"

"Ah, I see…" he said, putting on a sneaky grin, and heading off. Tenten approached the ninja she had just pinned to the muddy forest floor, and began to interrogate him.

"Are you the so called 'band' of ninja who have been causing havoc around here?"

"Yeah, who wants to know, ya dirty little"- Tenten placed a kunai on his throat, and pressed so blood spilled from it. She leaned closer towards him, and spoke in a deadly calm whisper:

"Ya know what? My day has been sucky enough without you, so I suggest that either you shut it, or I impale your neck with this kunai." The ninja, so scared of the possibility of this kind of death, fainted imeadiately. Tenten leaned back up to find that Lee had taken down the other two ninja, and was tying them up with chakra enhanced rope.

"Nice work Lee, but what are we gonna do about Neji?" Tenten pondered while Lee tied the third with the other two.

"How about if I carry these three back while you take Neji?" Tenten glanced at Neji, looked back at Lee, and said:

"Um, how about we just leave him here? He's a smart ninja, I'm sure he could find his way back to Konoha on his own!" she smiled a guilty smile, then, seeing the look of incrudelity on Lee's face, turned it into a solemn frown.

"Tenten? It seems to me that you and Neji have been… a bit hostile towards each other for a while now. Anything you want to talk about?" Tenten shook her head, and grabbed Neji's arm, hoisting him up.

"Well, okay. We'd better get all of them back to Konoha. Ready?" Tenten nodded, and together, they both lept into the leafy foliage.

A/N: SO UBER SORRY 4 NOT UPDATING SOONER!!! i'm afraid i rather lost my touch w/ this chapter cause i've been kinda... preoccupied with school things, but i had 2 get this done 4 the wonderful people who read, and reviewed my story- oh, and b4 i 4get, thanks to:

Cliff Hanger and Pluki-Kun  
yukisgrlfriend  
RedBrick

You guys ROCK MY SOCKS!!!!! thank you so much for reviewing!!!! u made me so uber happy/ ecstatic/ upbeat/ optimistic/ um... did i mention HAPPY?! sorry, i'm kinda weird 2night... well, i doubt that i'll b updating till after Christmas. so, all of you have happy and safe holidays!!! ADIOS:)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I'M BACK!!!! hiya!!! missed u all so uber much!!! k, i promised u all a long chappie, so i hope this is long enough 4 u all- if not, then um... i'll make the next chappie longer- promise!!!!!! oh, and i hope this flashback is long enough and gives enough info- if not then.. um... well, the second chappie is always there if u wanna reread it. anyways, enjoy!!!!!

* * *

FLASHBACK:

"Tenten? It seems to me that you and Neji have been… a bit hostile towards each other for a while now. Anything you want to talk about?" Tenten shook her head, and grabbed Neji's arm, hoisting him up.

"Well, okay. We'd better get all of them back to Konoha. Ready?" Tenten nodded, and together, they both lept into the leafy foliage.

* * *

Tenten and Lee arrived outside the walls of Konoha just as the rain slowed and the earth began to dry itself again. The two had made it back safely with all three of their attackers still out of commission. Likewise, Neji still hadn't regained consciousness, and it worried Tenten to a point where she actually voiced her concern for his well being, asking Lee if he thought he was going to be okay. Lee nodded his rain doused head, and smiled at her in a brotherly way. Like Neji, Tenten didn't always need words to talk to Lee- even though he used them more. Tsunade's office seemed a far walk with the bodies they were laden with, but what could they do? The two made their way, occasionally slipping and stumbling in the wet streets, finally, finding themselves standing at the front door of the Fifth's office. Letting themselves in, they were greeted by Shizune who called two ANBU ninja to come and take the enemy ninja away.

"Shizune- san? Could you please ask Tsunade- sama if she could have a look at Neji? He got knocked out during our fight, and he still hasn't woken up," voiced an anxious Tenten. Shizune nodded as she took Neji from his teammate's shoulder, and laid him on a spare bed which was conveniently placed in a corner of the room. Shizune pressed a little button on her desk, and spoke to it, asking for Tsunade.

"Why is Shizune- san speaking to that little button? It is not as if it can hear her…" Lee whispered to Tenten. A moment later, the door opened, revealing the Fifth Hokage.

"Amazing! I need to get myself one of those little buttons!" Lee whispered to his teammate excitedly. Tenten rolled her eyes, but smiled at Lee's naive ness. (A/N: I don't think Lee's stupid- I just like 2 c him as being… well… naïve- I love him tho. )

"What happened here?" Tsunade asked, heading to Neji's bed, beginning to check his pulse.

"We're really not sure," Tenten said, as she took her place beside Neji's bed as well. "We were looking for the ninja when an explosive tag went off on the tree Neji was standing on. He fell off, and when Lee and I found him, he was like this." Tsunade looked grim as she turned to her current patient's teammates.

"I'm sorry to say this, but I suspect that Neji has amnesia," Tenten and Lee looked at each other worriedly.

"And… how long does it normally last?" Lee hesitantly asked her. Tsunade's tongue flicked her cherry red lips before answering

"Sometimes only a few minutes… sometimes a few years, but," she said hastily seeing the anxiety on both ninja's profiles "we're not really sure of anything yet- we'll have to wait until he wakes up. Until then, no need to worry." This did little to comfort them.

"Listen," she turned fully to face them both, "why don't you two go home and relax. When Neji wakes up, I'll call you and you can come over to the hospital and see him." Realizing there was nothing more to be done, the two ninja agreed. As they walked away from the office, both were silent, contemplating their own thoughts. _Man... this is do dumb…_the weapon's mistress's thoughts rolled around in her head moodily. _Tch. Just figures- we have a fight then he gets amnesia… I'm not mad… but at the same time… I hate his guts… yet I feel sorry for him- ugh! what's wrong with me? get it together, Tenten! Why can't you figure out your feelings for him already?"_

_It's 'cause you like him_

_What the… who the heck are you?_

_Geez and I thought you were smart- I'm your inner._

_My inner?_

_Yeah! Everyone has them- and during times of crisis is when we tend to come up the most._

_Well, you certainly picked a good time to show up then. See, there's this guy-_

_Yeah, yeah, yeah, I already know the whole story- skip to the part where you figure out you love the guy!_

_What the… no way! I don't love Neji… do I?_

_I think you do_

_Oh really? And what makes you so confident?_

_Well, those butterflies you get in your stomach whenever you lock eyes or your shaky knees when you get a little too close during those spars…_

_Okay! Fine! I get it! Geez… kinda weird finding out that you have feelings for someone and never even knew it until your inner knocks on your mental door. _

_That's what I'm here for!! hey, I think Lee wants you._

_Hm? What do you mean? _

"Tenten? Hello? Tenten? Anyone there?" Lee waved a hand in front of his teammate's face, staring at her worriedly. Tenten blinked and shook her head, grinning apologetically to her green clad teammate.

"Sorry, Lee I wasn't listening- what were you saying?"

"I was asking you if you wanted to go spar," she shook her head, saying,

"Thanks Lee, but I think I wanna go home and just chill," Lee nodded knowingly.

"I understand Blossoming Flower of Youth- you are devastated due to our teammate's condition and need to rest- that is fine! I shall go find Gai- sensei and run 700 laps around Konoha with him!!! YOSH!!! LONG LIVE THE POWER OF YOUTH!!!"

Tenten smiled, exasperated as she headed for home. She unlocked the front door, and dropped her backpack beside it. Without even turning on the lights, she walked up the stairs, the last of the sun's rays hitting the railway from a skylight in the main room, making the wood shimmer with its golden touch. She headed down the dark hallway, head still buzzing with all that had happened.

On entering her room, she sat down at her desk, taking a picture frame in her hands, and stared at it. The picture was taken the day she, Neji, and Lee all became Genin. Gai was standing behind them, a huge grin displayed on his face as though he was the luckiest sensei alive. Tenten stared at Neji, taking in his cold profile, those white eyes that could see through someone like glass, and the way he carried himself- as though he was about to rule the world, or already did.

She looked again at his eyes; though they could look upon someone coldly, they could also make you feel… well, special in Tenten's case. The way he looked at her after she had given him a particularly vicious spar, or after she had taken the extreme risks necessary in order to complete a mission- it felt to her as though she could do anything and be loved and respected for it. It was a while before she realized that the sun had set- flooding her room with darkness. Taking care not to run into anything, she walked to her window and flung it open. The night wind blew about, blessing the room with its luscious scent and briskness. Her eyes turned to the stars which twinkled and sparkled, as though happy to see her. The stars, after all, seemed like her adopted family after her first had left the earth. Leaning on the windowsill, she caught a glimpse of a half moon, trading places with its counterpart, the sun, following it in its eternal path across the skies. The moon had always reminded her of Neji- mostly due to the comparison she could make to the whiteness of his eyes and its surface. Thinking of Neji made her think of the argument they had had earlier. As hard as she tried to stop them, hot tears began to flow down ivory cheeks and onto her arms, sliding onto the wood which was reflecting the moonlight. The weapon's mistress buried her head in her arms, and whispered the words she never got to say to his face.

"Neji… I'm sorry."

* * *

A/N: and that's the chappie! i hope u all liked it! i'm gonna try 2 update a lot sooner, but i can't make any promises on when i'll b updating. so plz tell me what u think, and um... yea- laterz everybody!!! lovers u all!!!! - 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: hiya guys!!!!!! how are you all? surprisingly, this update didn't take me as long as i thought it would- yay me!!! lol. anyways, hope u guys like this next chappie!!! oh, and plz review!!!! oh, and also, i'd like to take this time 2 thank everybody who reviewed- u all made me so uber happy, i can't even begin 2 tell u- c- does happy dance lol. well, enough stalling- here's chappie four!!!! -

* * *

Sunlight beamed through her room, as golden rays scattered themselves at the edge of her window, where they split and became brighter. Tenten groaned and opened her eyes to see pink clouds, highlighted by the sun's crescent form, just appearing over the mountinous horizon.

"Morning already?" she mumbled to herself, stretching. Her cheeks felt stiff and immovable after the tears shed upon them the previous night, and her body felt cramped, soreness spreading through her limbs. She stood up, about to go into the bathroom when she heard the phone ring. Holding onto the railing, she gingerly made her way downstairs, and picked up the phone.

"Tenten? This is Tsunade." The weapon's mistress felt her eyes widen, her worry about Neji returning in small ripples that soon became waves of anxiety.

"Tsunade- sama? How is he? Is he okay?" she breathed into the phone sounding, almost panicked.

"I think you should come down right away. Lee and your sensei will meet you there."

"Hai, Tsunade- sama," much to her dismay, she felt her body began to shake as her hands placed the phone back on the hook. What could be wrong? Could Neji really have amnesia? She shook her head violently. No. It couldn't be… she'd just have to wait till she got to the hospital…

An hour later, Tenten found herself walking inside the hospital. At once, the fumes of cleaners and anesthetics grew about her, making her sneeze. She never really liked hospitals- even though she did have to come here often. Memories flashed through her mind of how many hospital visits she's had here. One in particular stood out from the rest…

Flashback

"_Come on, Tenten, I know you can do better than that," a certain Hyuga genius mocked her. The smirk on his face said it all: 'you're weak and will never be able to defeat me'. It was that smirk that made Tenten so… infuriated. Anger flashed in her eyes like lightning as she ran at him, throwing an assortment of shuriken and kunai at the arrogant shinobi. Suddenly, he disappeared without a trace. _

_Before Tenten could react, he was right in front of her, hands glowing with blue chakra, Byakugan activated. They were so close that, in that split second, she could see every groove and indentation his bloodline limit made in his forehead. Eyes widening in surprise, she felt his hand jam into her stomach, making her taste blood. She would not go down without a fight, however, as she righted herself, and threw herself at him. _

_Not looking at her footing, she realized she hadn't measured the distance correctly, and ended up tripping over his foot. She landed on the ground, a sharp stab of pain emitting from her ankle. Tenten bit her lip to prevent from crying out, but her body stiffened in anguish. _

"_Tenten? Are you all right?" her stoic teammate ran to her, after seeing she wasn't getting up, and put a hand on her shoulder. _

"_Yeah… I think so," she said, raising herself to a sitting position. When she tried to stand up, however, she collapsed as pain shot through her ankle, all the way up to her leg. _

"_Here, let me see it," Neji bent down, and examined her ankle. Eyes narrowed, he reluctantly told her: "looks like it's broken. Come on, I'll take you to the hospital." Tenten shook her head, saying:_

"_That's okay, I can do it," Neji watched as his teammate began to struggle to her feet, but collapse again, pain written on her expression. In an instant, he was there before she had hit the ground, his hands around her small shoulders and legs, picking her up bridal style, and walking toward the hospital._

"_I can walk you know," Tenten told him after a few moments' silence. Neji smirked at her._

"_Hn. No you can't,"_

"_Yes I can!"_

"_No you can't,"_

"_Yes I can!"_

_This went on for a few minutes before Neji finally said:_

"_Even if you could, I wouldn't let you," Tenten's curious brown orbs intensified their gaze on him._

"_And why not?" _

"_Because I don't like seeing you get hurt. That's all," Tenten stayed silent until they got to the hospital where one of the nurses on the unit healed her up in no time. _

"_It'll be a little sore for the next few days, but it's not broken anymore," the nurse said as they were about to leave. "just don't put any major strain on it, and you'll be fine." Tenten thanked her, and walked out with Neji, limping slightly. As soon as they were outside the hospital, Neji picked her up again, ignoring her protests. _

"_For the last time, I CAN walk!" Neji smirked again as he silently carried back to her house, where he pulled out a key, opened the door, and carried her upstairs to her bedroom. Tenten stared in disbelief- there was no way Hyuga Neji was in her house… she must have been dreaming… at least, that's how she felt as he gently laid her on the bed. _

"_Is there anything you need me to get for you?" he asked before he turned to the door. Numb with disbelief, Tenten shook her head no, and watched him as he closed the door behind him. A few moments later, she heard the front door close. _

_This has been one crazy day… Tenten thought to herself as exhaustion carried her away to a dreamless sleep._

_End Flashback_

"Oh, Tenten- I see you're here," Gai was now walking towards the kunoichi, looking sad, but at the same time, trying not to show it. Lee was walking with him, looking just as dejected and upset.

"You guys have already seen him? how is he?" Tenten asked in a rush. Lee walked up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"He has amniesia, Tenten. He can't remember who he is, or how he got it. Tsunade- sama did not say when he would recover…" Tenten nodded bravely, and asked if she could see him. Lee nodded, and showed her to his room. Biting her lip, Tenten reached for the door handle, the coldness spreading onto her hand.

"Neji?" she opened the door wider so she could see him. He was sitting up in bed, looking scared and confused- two emotions not even Tenten would get to see on the prodigy's face at the same time. When he saw her, his eyes grew wide, and he drew in a small gasp.

"Neji? Neji, it's me,"- his hoarse voice cut her off.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" the words came out of his mouth, rushed, and panicked; the lexis echoed throughout her mind…

_Who are you… what do you want from me… _

_who are you?_

_Who are you?… _

_who…are…you…?_

Tenten felt tears burning their ways into her brown orbs, but before either could say anything else, Tsunade came in, and said:

"Tenten- I'm glad you're here. Your sensei already told you about Neji then?" she looked sadly at the young kunoichi's agrieved face. Tenten nodded, afraid her voice would crack, for a lump seemed to had formed in her throat. Tsunade continued: "I talked with Hiashi, and we both agreed that it would be best that, until Neji gets his memory back, he should stay with you since you two were close, and you know all of his fighting techniques front to back, so that you could teach him to fight again," Tenten nodded again, now numb, hearing nothing but the words in her mind spoken by Neji… _who are you?_

Feeling as though she were about crumble underneath the weight of her tears, she quietly asked her idol if she could step outside for a moment. Tsunade agreed with an understanding look in her eyes. Tenten opened the door, and stepped outside, noticing that Lee was standing a little ways in the hall, a few feet from Neji's room.

He walked up to her, as he saw the tears spilling out of her eyes, and put his arms around her, in a brotherly embrace. Tenten hugged him back, but only slightly comforted. As her tears ceased, they let go. Tenten gave her green clad comrade a small, sad, smile, and said "Thanks, Lee." Lee did the best 'good guy' pose he could under the circumstances.

"Don't worry, Tenten- I know Neji, and I know that he would not give up so easily to something like a little memory loss!" Despite the fresh wave of tears Tenten knew were to come, she too smiled bravely, in the hope that Lee was right.

A/N: i tried to make it kinda uplifting at the end... but i dunno- i kinda got angsty at the end like the first chappie- y do i keep doing that? yea, anyway, thanks to all who reviewed before, and i hope that u will all take time into reviewing again!!!!!!!! ADIOS!!! -


	5. Chapter 5

"Hmmm… I wonder what this does…"

BRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

"Neji! Are you playing with the blender?"

"Um…"

"Ahhh! I have my hands full right now- just push the silver button down!"

The sound of an angry blender instantly died down.

"Neji," Tenten sighed, exasperatedly as she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen with a basket full of laundry, "how many times do I have to tell you- kitchen appliances are NOT your friends!"

"… but they're shiny…" Neji admitted shamefacedly, fiddling with his fingers- reminiscent behavior of his cousin. Annoyed, Tenten blew her bangs out of her face.

"The next time it happens, you won't be allowed to look at my weapons- and that's a promise," she narrowed her eyes at him as he frowned. And, like a disobedient child, went off to sit in the living room. She shook her head and sighed again to herself as she continued on with her laundering duties.

It had been a week since Neji had moved in with her. Due to his amnesia, he had become more childlike and less… well, less like Neji. With enough curiosity to kill the entire nine lives of a cat, he had tried to reintroduce himself into a world he already knew. When she wasn't doing chores or cleaning up after Neji, Tenten and the Hyuga sat down and tried to talk about things Tenten knew Neji would recognize. She told him about his bloodline, how their training together had honed it, and how they had helped strengthen each other and their abilities. They hadn't started up actual training again. Tsunade said he needed a few weeks' worth of rest before they attempted that. Though Tenten was enjoying the time off, she did sometimes find it difficult and often puzzling to deal with her teammate. The biggest difference in him was his lack of aloofness. Before, if she asked him a question, he would respond with as few words as possible, often resulting in a one- word answer. If she tried to invite him anywhere, the answer would usually be an indifferent: "No."

But now… now he was completely different. He talked to her- actually talked- with words! He was curious about her life and about his own- something he couldn't be blamed for. At first, Neji's attitude made Tenten uneasy, but she learned to be with this Neji just as she learned to be with him before he lost his memory.

She recalled all of this as she took clean clothes back into the living room and dumped them on the couch to fold them. Absentmindedly watching Neji from the corner of her eye. She had yet to admit to him that the day his memory had been lost was the same day they had fought. _But is it really that important? _The weapon's mistress thought to herself as she folded a short. _I mean, so what if he doesn't remember some silly argument? It wouldn't be the end of the world… _she turned to look at him, as he flicked through channels on the T.V., feeling a little more than slightly guilty. During the day he had lost his memory, had she not been so preoccupied with her own feelings, she would have noticed the white tag soar past her and causing the explosion that made Neji lose his memory. Impulsively, she threw a pair of his pants at him, stiffling a giggle when they landed on his head.

"If you can remember how to turn on a blender, you can remember how to fold a pair of those," she said, matter- of- factly. She never was mean to him about his memory loss- especially considering the fact that it was partly her fault, but she did expect him to do at least a _little _housework.

"Fine," he grumbled, getting to his feet and folding the pants.

"See? You're already starting to sound more like yourself," Tenten smiled at him as he looked at her curiously.

"Was I really that… mean?" he asked hesitantly, unsure of whether or not he wanted an answer.

"I wouldn't say mean…" Tenten admitted truthfully, throwing a pair of bunched up socks into the basket, "you could get pretty grumpy, though."

"Grumpy?"

"Uh huh- especially if you didn't get in your daily dose of training," the Hyuga mulled this over as he reached for a shirt, pulling it to discover that Tenten had grabbed ahold of the same shirt as well, and that he had pulled her closer.

"Uh- here, I'll just do the rest," Tenten blushed and pulled away, gathering up the rest of the shirt in her hands.

"Oh- yeah, okay," Neji stuttered, turning back to the T.V. "Eww… what are we watching?" Tenten looked over to the screen just in time to see Snookie's incredibly enormous hair poof bouncing away on the screen.

"Oh this? It was your favorite show," the weapon's mistress was cunning in her wit today. Neji looked at her incredulously.

"_This?_" he asked, pointing at the television in disbelief. "Tenten, there is no way…"

"It really was- you never stopped talking about it," the bun- clad girl nodded over the pair of jeans she was folding, trying her hardest not to snicker, lest her cover be blown.

"I don't know…" the Hyuga mumbled, still unsure, "but if it was my favorite… I guess it wouldn't hurt to watch just a few episodes…" he settled down in a cozy chair near the T.V., legs crossed, eyes focused on the screen in deep concentration as Tenten made her way upstairs, smothering giggles into the freshly laundered clothes.

A/N: Hey everybody! Wow... long time no see for this fanfic! I'm sorry it took me so long to update! (I feel like I've been saying that a lot recently) ^-^' As I read the other four chapters, I cringed literally the entire time. Holy crap, those chapters are bad ^-^' I only hope you can forgive me for such crappy chapters, an update that took forever, and really dorky Author's Notes. Thanks to all of my wonderful, dedicated readers as well as my always appreciated reviewers! If it were not for you, I probably wouldn't be writing half as much right now. So thanks :)

-shadowofnothing14


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